Six Albums to Ease Anyone into Jazz
These Recordings Emphasize the Fun and Beauty in Jazz
Aug 13, 2009
Instead of long solos, screeching horns and dense intellectual underpinning, these recordings put the emphasis on melody. The song's central motifs are articulated clearly and eloquently articulated and supported by rhythm sections that know how to keep a catchy riff working.
Start a jazz collection with any or all of these, and a budding listener will have a solid but non-threatening foundation for getting further into the music.
Freddie Hubbard, "Backlash"
Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard spent most of his career in the shadow of Mils Davis. Yet he was a brilliant and distinctive composer and performer with a sound all his own, never more beautifully articulated than on 1966's "Backlash."
Hubbard incorporates lively Latin and R&B touches as he works through a lively selection of original tunes and standards. The clear highlight is Hubbard's luminescent "Little Sunflower," which went on to become something of a standard and still ranks as one of the most beautiful tunes in jazz.
Brad Mehldau, "Day is Done"
Sometimes it's the dusty repertoire that keeps potential jazz converts away, in which case contemporary pianist Brad Mehldau has a beguiling antidote with "Day is Done."
Reminding listeners that jazz originally had taken a flexible and contemporary view of what constitutes a "standard," Mehldau and the rest of his superbly nimble trio tackle tunes such as Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home" with amazing subtlety and grace. The highlight is a gorgeously delicate version of Radiohead's "Knives Out" that makes the original seem like a mere shadow of an idea.
Modern Jazz Quartet, "No Sun in Venice"
The Modern Jazz Quartet was a key figure in pushing jazz into symphony halls and opera houses, but the group's lasting contribution remains a sense of lyricism and harmony matched by few performers. The group's soundtrack for 1957's "No Sun in Venice" remains their hallmark statement, a work of haunting, ageless beauty.
Abbey Lincoln, "A Turtles Dream"
Vocalist Abbey Lincoln was part of a vanguard of 1950s musicians who drew inspiration from the blossoming Civil Rights movement. But her most stunning work has come during her second act, as a senior chanteuse whose slight diminution in vocal strength has been more than matched by a sense of wisdom and authority.
She sticks mostly to original songs on 1995's "A Turtle's Dream," revealing a poet's soul to go with her siren's voice. The opening track, "Throw It Away," is as convincing an argument for the law of karma as you'll ever hear.
Ginger Baker Trio, "Going Back Home"
No doubt about it, fusion can be a little scary -- who wants to give up rock for jazz only to be confronted again by 10-minute electric bass solos? But there's not even a hint of pretense or indulgence on the Ginger Baker Trio's 1994 "Going Back Home." The former Cream drummer and master guitarist Bill Frisell play around with selection of expressive but easy-going original tunes that rely more on atmosphere than structure.
Keith Jarrett Trio, "Tokyo '96"
Pianist Keith Jarrett is one of the most brilliant performers in contemporary jazz, but his personality is a bit...difficult.
"Tokyo '96" presents the acerbic genius at his best -- there's no arguing with the audience (the presence of the Japanese royal family might have helped), and the engineers knew how to place the mikes to drown out the strange moans and other vocalisms that usually undercut Jarrett's playing. Instead, you get the pianist and longtime cohorts Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock playing with superb command and fluid invention on a charming set of standards highlighted by a swinging "I'll Remember April" and a winsome "Last Night When We Were Young."
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